Garment hanger



0. LuRTz GARMNT HANGER July 22, 1947.

Filed May 7, 1943 5 sheetssheet 1 Fis. 5

FIG', l 5

Fae. 2

C. LURTZ GARMENT HANGER July 22, 1947.

v5 sheets-sheet 2 Filed May '7, 1943 FIG.' 9

FIG. -6

\l l llllllll Il lll-II--- FIG. 8

c. LuRTz 2,424,280

GARMENT HANGER Filed May 7, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 July 22, 1947.

Patented July 22, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims. 1

This vinvention relates to garment hangers, and more particularly tothat type of vconstruction having a mechanical arrangement whereby agarment, such as a skirt or pair of trousers,

may be held in position by a compressing action of certainlever-elements in the mechanical arrangement.

The general construction of the device disclosed in this applicationcomprises two arms pivotally interconnected at one end so that'one armmay turn upon the otherwhile the respective free ends of the arms rareadapted to hold compressed thereinbetween a garment or some other pieceof material, with aid of' a'locking device of novel construction.

Analogous devices, heretofore constructed on the basis of thefundamental' principles above premised, usually embody some permanentlyconnected operating means whereby the two arms may be set togetheror-closed for obtaining leverage; such operating means as employed inthe prior art may -be inthe form of` a lever-spring, a screw device, apivoted lever-link, a lslidable collar, or some similar deviceoperatively connected to enable leverage to be-exerted on the arms formoving them so that they may be set together or closed. As a generalrule, the said means or locking device is connected to one or both armsin such manner that .angular motion therein may be veffected withinlimits of a comparativelyfsmall angle; and the locking device usuallymoves co-extensively with 'the arms while they are being operated. Suchimpeded and restricted angularmotion in the arms is in many casesdisadvantageous, becauseV it may render inconvenient the positioning ofa piece of'material between the clamping elements of the arms.

One of the objects of the present inventionV is,

therefore, the provision of means whereby'the above noted disadvantagesmay be eliminated in a .simple and effective manner. This end isachieved with a construction embodying two pivotally interconnected armsoperatively associated with a locking device; but .theclraracteristicfea-V tures of the locking device are to enable Vthe device to be movedat will to operative' or to inoperative position; andwith'co-,.operationofy coactive means embodied with `thelarms, it aordsone of the arms tobe swung away freelybeyondvv 4particular.arrangementof `the means co-active with the detachable locking device; the -saidmeans comprises supplementary lever-elements disposed Aon .each arm in.such position ,relative to the path vofangular motion of the arms inrelationshipwith respect to each other that when ,one .arm is movediangularly towards the other over 4a certain :angle of limiteddegree,.then the supplementary lever-elements are moved so .that the.distance between them increases gradually,

.reaching a maximum when the respective lfree Aends of the armscome incontact with each other.

Vone arm is moved -beyond a definite point in its arcuate Apath fromtheeother arm.

A further object-of the present invention `Ais toV provide-such aconstruction that at least one -of-the two Vpivota'llyv interconnectedarms is enabled to support an additional garment, such as a coat, which,withaid of the other arm may be held in position to prevent `saidadditional Y garment yfrom becoming displaced lon the first mentionedsupporting arm.

Afstill further objectvof the inventionris the provision ofmeans .toenable the .gripping elements of the ,device to be shifted at will tovarious .stationary positions within definite limits, so that grippingaction between the pivotally interconnected arms may be effected atpoints selectively Vlocated a definite distance apart on the left and.right-.hand side ofeach of Asaid arms.

And a still further object of the. inventionis to provide a-pivotalconnection for the twoarms of suchV construction-that al minimum ofparts .and assembly operations are required for making `such pivotalconnection.

With: the foregoing and other purposes in view, thefinvention. consists4in the novel features of construction, combination .and arrangement ofparts as willbe hereinafter more fullydescribed,

illustratedin the accompanying drawings and .t theY appendedclaims.

.note-:correspondingparts in the diEerent-views:

'Figg lyis a planlview-` ofthe garment hanger .as -seen from the front,-showing the holding arms closed together, and the locking device inoperative position;

Fig. 2 is -a side-view'ofFig. 1; *seenv from the t left-'hand side;

3 isa similar side-view of the device, show- Fig. 7 is a fragmentaryview, taken approxil mately on the broken line C-C of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a further modification, showing ,the

rear-arm of the device formed so that'itv may serve for the support ofan additional garment M and also to serve for the support of adjustablegripping elements;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of one of the adjustable grippingelements, taken on line D--D of Fig, 8;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of still another modification, showing the deviceadapted for the support of either a coat or a pair of trousers or bothpieces of garment; a section of a coat is indicated in dotted lines toshow how this garment may be supported with aid of the front andreararm;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view of the device of Fig. 10, on a planindicated by the broken line VE--lil, showing detailed constructionalfeatures of those parts whereby the two arms are pivotallyinterconnected, the several parts being illustrated in unassembledposition.

While some or all `of the present improvements arecapable of embodimentin devices other than garment hangers,v it is in the latter that saidimprovements are particularly adapted for bene- 'ficial incorporation,and for this reason a device adapted for the support of garments has,been chosen for purposes of illustrating said improvements'.

The device as exemplied in the drawing, Figures 1, 2 and 3, comprisestwo pivotally interconnected arms; the rear-arm being indicated byreference character 8A, and the front-arm by the character 8B, thesearms may also be termed rst and second arm. When the rear and frontarmare not locked together bymeans of a locking device, such as a wedge orsome similar locking means, then the front-arm 8B is entirely free to-beswungaway from the rear-arm over an angle greater in degree than thelimited angle within which the arms are adapted to effect;y

gripping operationbetween their respective free ends. For attaining suchgripping action effectively, each arm is shown provided at its free endwith a transverse holding member 9 and I0, respectively, arranged inparallelism, and made of aV suitable length to enable a garment II,indicated in dotted lines, to be securely held in position. Themid-section of each of said holding members is ,reduced in thicknessover a substantial length, as illustrated in Fig. 4; thus imparting' adefinite degree of flexibility to the holding members 9 and I0, servingto cause the opposing cheeks I2I3 to be held yieldably in pressurecontact with the garment when the locking device is disposed inoperative position to hold the arms together.

For pivotally interconnectingthe two arms, there is shown in the drawinga pivot-support I4, forming an integral part of thel rear arm 8A. Thepivot-support I4 is provided with a-transverse hole (shown in brokenlines in Fig. 1), or some other suitable form of shaft-bearing, foraccommodation of the shaft-member I5, which forms part of the front-arm8B.

The particular example illustrated in Fig, 1 through 4 is of such designthat wood may serve well as material for the construction of all theparts of the device. When such material is chosen for fabrication of thegarment hanger, then the pivotv :assembly 'of the vtwo arms may be made"economically inthe manner as exemplified in the drawing; this assemblyinvolves the following progressive manufacturing operations: The shaftI5 is inserted axially into its bearing in the pivotsuDDQrt I4, allowingthe shaft to project on eitherside of the pivot-support. Thereafter, apermanent connection is made in some suitable manner between theprojecting ends of the shaft I5 and the respective end-portions of thebifurcated end of the arm 8B. The outcut I6 of said bifurcated end ismade of suflicient depth to enable the supplementary lever-element oredge I1 ofthe arm4 8B to clear the forward projecting detent-member ornose I8, the latter forming a unitwith the pivot-support I4, and may beregarded as a supplementary lever-element on the rear-arm 8A. Theoperative part of the nose I8 is its contact-surface I9, which is shownextending from the lateral inner side of the reararm forwardly andbeyond the lateral inner side of the front-arm 8B, i. e., at such timewhen the latter is disposed, relative to the rear-arm, within thatparticular angle within which gripping operation between the respectivefree ends of the two arms may be effected, as will be more fullydescribed hereinafter.

The operating element co-active with the wedge, and located at the baseof the outcut IE on the arm 8B, is the contact-face of the said edge Il,which, when the two arms are relatively close together, is disposed at adenite distance beneath the said vcontact-surface I9 of the nose I8.'Ilhe arcuate path over which the contact-face of the edge II iscarried, when the front-arm 8B is swung away from or towards therear-arm 8A, is shown by the broken lines 20 in Fig. 3. It will be notedthat the said arcuate path is such, in relation to the disposition ofthe contact-surface I9, that the edge I1 gradually approaches the saidcontact-surface I9 while the arm 8B is swung away from the arm 8A overan initial limited angle, contained within the limits indicated by thebroken lines 20A-40B. Now, the purpose of the afore related arrangementis to enable a locking device, such as a wedge 2| or similar blockingdevice to be effectively employed for urging and locking the two arms 8Aand 8B together, so that a piece of material, whenI placed between therespective free ends of the said arms, may be held securely in positionthereby. Y

In Figs. 1 andZ, the wedge 2I is shown disposed inoperative position,that is to say, in a position in which the wedge 2l and the saidsupplementary lever-elements ofthe arms co-act for locking the armstogether. This end is achieved as best shown in Fig. 2, where the wedge2| is shown with its upper contact-face held in engagement with thecontact-surface I9 of the nose I8, while a portion of` the opposite faceof the Y said wedge'is held in engagement with the congatteo l's allowedto recede angularly from then arm 8A, until, finally, the distancebetween the contactsurface' I9 andthe said contact-face of 'the/,edgeI'I becomes too small to permit the wedge 2| 'to occupy the interveningspace between the nsaid contact-surface and the said contact-face of therst and second arm, respectively. Afterthe wedge is thus moved fromoperative to inoperative position, it aiords one arm toturn freely uponthe other over a comparatively large angle, limited only by the upperend-section of the pivot-support I4, which Yend-section `lies inthe pathof the` edge I'I. The wide angle over-which the arm 8B may thus be movedrelative to ythe rear-'arm' 8A is of considerable advantage, becausethis enables a garment or some other piece of material to be placed inposition between the two parallelholding members 9 and I0 with maxinrumconvenience.

In4 practice, when a garment is desiredl to be placed between thegripping elements of the device, the latter may be put, rear-side down,on a table or similar support. This will leave both hands free forplacing the garment properly in position on the cheeks I2 of thetransverse holding member 9; provided, of course, that the front-arm 8Bis rst swung away from the reararm 8A to the desired distance.Subsequently, the arm 8B is moved back to bring the holding member Iwith its cheeks vI3'i'r'i pressure contact with the garment, and thenthe wedge' 2| is pushed into the intervening `space between thecontact-surface I9 and the edge II so as to prevent the arms from movingapart. When the wedge is thus pushed into holding position, its

drag on the edge Il of the arm 8B causes both arms to be exed'toward oneanother to a small degree, and the resulting spring pressure istransmitted to the cheeks of the holding members 9 and I; while part ofthe counteractive forcel or reflex action of the `arms causes pressureto be exerted on the upper and lower side of the wedge 2|, thus holdingit in frictional engagement with the co-acting detent-elements ofthedevice.

It will therefore be understood that the said wedge with its co--activeparts is capable to serve as a device for urging the arms toward 'oneanother over a distance of relatively small degree. However, the wedgeis principally adapted to function as a motion-inhibiting device.

By virtue of the resiliency of the holding members 9 and I0, coupledwith the additional small resiliency inherent in the longitudinalsections of the rear and front-arm, it permits frictional resistance onthe wedge to be relieved almost completely if the front and rear-arm arepressed together, thus allowing the wedge to be removed with great ease.

In the device of Fig.. l, the means whereby the garment hanger may beypendently connected to a stationary support, is shown in the form of acord 22, which is permanently fixed at one end to the upper end-sectionof the pivot-support I4. On the other free end ofthe cord 22 is formed aloop 23, which is adapted to be detachably hooked Aonthe projection 24so that the garment hanger may be connected to any type of V47stationarylsupport designed for such purpose. This cord-ar- Yrafn'gen'ient isintended to take the place of the usual wire-hook, in case the use ofthelatter is for somereason or other not preferred. The vsaidprojection"214 V'is shown 'formed from a separate piece of material,which is gluedV Aor secured 'in 4vsomeother suitable'I'na'nner in a slotmadeilito rthe'head-piece of Vthe 4piv(5t-'support I4. "'At ftheY'bottom of said's'lot is held's'dehzedlwn'a part'of the G01-'d 2x2..the remaining end-part of4 which extends through the hole 25 (Fig. 1) ofthe pivotsupport I4 to the outside thereof, Where the'extremity of thecord-section 26 is fixed to the heavy end of the Wedge 2l. All thevarious 'features of this particular cord-suspension device will vbedescribed with greater detail in a separate application.

In Fig. 5, is illustrated a modification ofthe device;Athis'modiiication is in its constructional and functionalcharacteristics nearly the sameas the first described example. Thevarious parts-of the device of Fig. 5 will, therefore, be pointed outonly briefly inthe following paragraph, after which the distinguishingfeatures of the modification' Will be described in detail.

The rear-arm 8C with itshlding member 9B, and the front-arm `'8D withits holding member IDB, are pivotally interconnected so that operationtherein may be effected in like 'manner 'as in the device of Fig. 1. Thedetent-elemnt -or nose of thearm 8D is indicated by the referencecharacter I 8B, and the detent-element of the arm 8D is indicated by thereference character I'IB; between these elements is shown in operativeposition the wedge 2i, which is adapted to perlform its speci'c functionas herei-nbefore clescribed.

The device of Fig. 5 is designed so lthat the front and rear-arm, plusthe'appended parts thereof, may be die-cast economically in twos'eparate units, ready for assembly. Thus, the garment hanger, embodyingthe present invention,

Vmay be fabricated with a minimum vof hand-work from suitable plasticmaterial or from metal, In the event a plastic material o-f relativelylow strength is used in the construction of the device, then it may bedesirable to reenforcethse parts of the arms wherethe strain of leverageis greatest. This end may be achieved by providing ribsections asindicated in the drawing by 'reference character 21B and 28B; therib-sections 21B are formed, respectively, on the left and right-handside of the rear-arm 8C, and the rib-sections 28B are formed on the leftand right-hand side of the front-arm 8D; in Fig. 5, the left-hand sideof the device is brought to view.

The journal-bearing of the pivot-support I4B is made in the form of asemi-circular transverse groove 29B, open at the front-face of the saidpivot-support, so that the shaft-section ISB of the arm BD may beinserted from a lateral direction into the said bearing 29B; thuseliminating the -necessity of connecting the front-arm to its shaftseparately, like in the construction vof the device of Fig. 1. The block39, attached-tothe pivot-support I 4B by a screw SI lor some Vother formof securing device, is adapted to cover the lateral front-opening of theYjournal-bearing 29B, so as to prevent the shaft IEB with its arm 8D tobe moved out of assembled position.

The hook 22B is shown forming a fixed part of the rear-unit, whichincludes the pivot-support MB, the arm 8C and its transverse holdingmember 9B.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the journal bearing 29C(Fig. 7) is open vat the rearside of the pivot-support MC, and the upperpart of the rear-,arm 8C is adapted Vto retain the shaftmember IEC vofthe front-arm 8D in assembled position. The supplementary member,adapted for the support of an additional garment, such as a coat, isshown embodied in the form of two curved branches 33A and'33B, extendingrespectively tothe le'ft and 'right ofthe pivot-support 14C, vwhichcarries 'the v'metallic hook 22D.

indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6, either one or both free ends 33C ofthe supplementary member 33A-33B may serve to lend additional support toanother garment, such as a skirt IIA, while the latter is being held atcertain other points in position between the free ends of the front andrear-arm of the device with co-operation of the wedge ZI.

In the device of Fig. 8, the rear-arm 8E, having the hook 22C, is madeof a form adapted for the support of an additional garment. To therespective free end-sections of the arm 8E is fixed the transverse rod9C, carrying the spacedapart gripping elements 34A and 34B so that asecond garment may be held in position between the cheeks IZB of thegripping elements 34A-34B and the opposing cheeks I 3A of the transverseholding member IDB on the front-arm 8F, when the two pivotallyinterconnected arms are held closed together by means of the wedge 2l.The pivot-support IAD, accommodating the shaft IED of the front-arm 8F,is connected to the reararm 8E at its mid-section. The two separategripping elements 34A and 34B are supported so that they may severallybe shifted to different stationary positions on the rod 9C. Thus, agarment may be clamped in position at points within wider or narrowerlimits apart, depending to what particular position the grippingelements 34A and 34B are shifted in relationship with respect to eachother. Each of the said gripping elements is shown having a nail orsimilar projection 36 made to project loosely into a slot 35 on the rod9C (Fig. 9) to prevent rotative motion in the gripping elements. Similarelements may, of course, be adjustably mounted in some suitable manneron the transverse holding member IDB of the front-arm 8F, in which casethe gripping elements of the rear-arm v8E may be replaced by stationarygripping elements of the desired length.

Before proceeding with the description of Fig. 10, it is important tobear in mind that whenever one of the two pivotally interconnected armsof the device embodies a coat-supporting member, it enables the otherarm to interfunction in such a manner that a certain part of the coat,which does not rest on the coat-supporting member, may be clamped inposition between the free ends of the two arms, securely in position onits supporting member so that the garment cannot be shifted from itsoriginal position as long as the two arms are held locked together. Itwill, of course, be understood that with incorporation of acoat-supporting member, the device is adapted for the support of a pairof trousers or a coat, or both garments if desired.

The manner of supporting a coat with aid of the present invention asrelated in the preceding paragraph, is best illustrated in Fig. 10. Thecoat IIB is shown in dotted lines, supported by the coat-supportingmember 31 which forms part of the rear-arm 8G; the rear-arm includes thepivot-support IAG and the transverse rod IIID on which the twospaced-apart gripping elements I2C are disposed opposite thespaced-apart gripping elements I3C, arranged on the free end of thefront-arm 8H. The gripping elements I3C are shown made of iibrousmaterial (Fig. 11), such as felt or some similar material wherebyeffective gripping action may be obtained with a minimum requirement ofcontact-pressure for holding the garment in position. The particulararrangement of the pivotal connection for the thus holding the coat twogripping arms enables those elements whereby the coat IIB may be clampedin position to be located somewhere on the front-face of the rear-arm,and at a certain distance away from that specic part of the arm on whichthe coat is adaptedto rest. --As a result, the respective grippingelements of the front and rear-arm, as shown in the drawing, are welladapted for holding the collar-part of the garment clamped in positionso that the coat cannot shift on its supporting member 31 as long as thewedge 2IB holds the two arms closed together.

r1in Fig. 11 are shown constructional details of the device whereby thetwo arms may be plvotally interconnected in a simple and economicalmanner. The pivot-support I4G is shown provided on its oppositely lyingleft and right-hand face with a depression 38A and 38B, respectively,adapted to form by its edge 39 a shaft-bearing for the spaced-apartshaft-elements 40 of the front-arm 8H. If the front-arm is made of wood,then it is convenient to employ round fiber washers for theshaft-elements 40. Each of these washers is provided with a hole ofsuitable dimension to accommodate therein, respectively, the shoulderedshaft-section 4I, formed from the arm at the upper left and right-handside of its round outcut IBB (see Fig. 10); the said outcut furtherembodies the operating edge I'IB which is adapted to receive the lowerside of the wedge 2IB when the latter is disposed in operative positionas shown in Fig. 10. Now, when the shaftelements 40 are in position onthe arm 8H, as indicated in Fig. 11, the next assembly operation isperformed by inserting the shaft-elements 40, while on the arm 8H, intolthe depressions 38A-38B from the rear-side of the pivot-support wheresaid depressions are open. Subsequently, the pivot-support IAG isconnected to the rear-arm 8G, and after this nal connection is made, therear-opening of each of said bearing-depressions is blocked by a portionof the rear-arm 8G so that the two arms remain securely hinged together.In the drawing, the pivot-support IBG is shown provided with a tenon 42at its rear-side, adapted to fit into the mortise 43 of the rear-arm 8G;thus providing a simple form of connecting joint between thepivot-support and the rear-arm. It will, of course, be apparent that thepivot-support IBG may be connected in some other suitable manner to itsarm. The upper end-section of the pivot-support I4G is shown providedwith a hook 24B. In Fig. l0 is shown in dotted lines a stationarysupport, in the form of a rod 44, adapted for holding the garment hangersuspended.

Without further description it is thought that the features andadvantages of the herein described invention will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood thatchanges in the form, proportion and details of construction may beresorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention andscope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a garment hanger, means for connecting it in a pendent position toa stationary support, a rst and second angularly movable arm pivotallyinterconnected at one end to enable a piece of ma- Iteral to be heldbetween the free ends of the arms when the latter are held closedtogether; supplementary lever-elements having operating contact-facesarranged respectively on the rst and second arm and movableco-extensively therewith, a wedge adapted to engage each of saidcontact-faces for urging the arms together with movement of the wedge ina definite direction over a limited path, and an instrumentalitycoactive between said supplementary lever-elements andthe wedge toafford the latter to be moved completely out of 'its 'limited path in adirection away from the pivotal interconnection of the arms.

'2. A garment -hanger, comprising a pair of arms pivotallyinterconnected at one end to enable the free end of one arm to be swungaway or toward the free end of the other each of said :arms havinglever-devices |l--l8 normally disposed at spaced relation with respectto each other, a wedge having a rst and second contact-surface adaptedto operate within a limited path for holding the two arms together withcooperation of said lever-devices while in pressure-contact therewith toenable a piece of material to .fbe held between the free ends of thearms, and means co-active between said lever-devices and the wedge forguiding the movement of the latter relative to the arms; said meansincluding contactelements on one of said lever-devices distributed overan area of definite extent to enable the first contact-surface of thewedge to come into pressure-engagement within its limited path ofmovement with said one lever-device at points to inhibit angularmovement of the wedge on the plane of angular movement of the arm andleverdevice having said contact-elements, at a time when the otherlever-device is in pressure-contact with the second contact-surface ofthe wedge.

3. In a garment hanger, a first and second clamping-member normallydisposed opposite one another, an extension on each clamping memberincluding a device for holding said extensions pivotally interconnectedto enable the first clamping-member to be moved over a limited angletoward and away from the second clampingmember, a lever-device I8 havinga substantially fiat contact-face I9 on one of said extensions, anotherlever-device I1 having contact-elements on the other extension; thearrangement of the lever-devices being to enable the contact-elements ofone lever-device to be carried closer to or farther away from the flatcontact-face of the other lever-device depending on the direction ofmovement of the clamping members relative one to another, and adetachable wedge having contact-elements on one side adapted to engagethe flat contact-face I9 of said lever-device to enable the movement ofthe wedge to be guided in a linear direction while the contact-elementsof the other lever-device engage the wedge.

4. In a garment hanger, in combination, a first and second arm pivotallyinterconnected at one end to enable a garment to be held in positionbetween the respective free ends of the arms when locked together, alocking device adapted for locking the arms together in position foreifecting compressing action between opposing free ends of thearrns, anda member on at least one arm eX- tending therefrom over a substantialdistance to the left and right, the said member being arranged to clearthe respective free ends of the arms and also the locking device thereofto swing coextensively with said arm on a common fulcrum therewith andto enable an additional garment to be supported by said member.

5. A garment hanger comprising means for connecting it in a pendentposition to a stationary support, a iirst and second arm pivotallyinterconnected at one end to enable one arm to swing freely upon theother over a limited angle,

a grippingmember arranged horizontally on the freegend of each ,arm for.holding compressed therein-between certain parts of .a garment while theAtwo arms are closed together, a detachably connected locking deviceadapted for holding the-two arms .closed together when the lockingdevice. is disposed in operative position, and an additional supportingmember embodied with at least'one -of--said pivotally interconnectedarms; said additional member including two branches extendingrespectively over-a substantial distance to the left and right from thepivotal connection of the arms and curving downwardly to tcause the freeend of each branch to be disposed Vin proxiniity of the horizontallyarranged gripping members to enable the garment thereinbetween to beadditionally supported at the left and right-hand side, respectively, bythe free end-section of each of said branch.

6. In a garment hanger, a rst and second arm pivotally interconnected atone end to enable the free end of one arm to describe an arc inapproaching the other, a transverse holding member on the free end ofeach arm, said holding members being arranged in parallelism withthemselves, a plurality of gripping elements disposed at spaced relationwith respect to one another on at least one of said holding members, alocking device embodied with the arms adapted for locking them togetherto afford clamping action between the opposing gripping elements of thearms to be effected, and means co-active between the holding member ofat least one arm and at least one gripping element thereof to enable thelatter to be shifted at will within definite limits toward or away fromthe next gripping element on the same holding member, affording clampingaction to be eiected between at least two separated points locatedanywhere within the limits determined by the position of the shiftablegripping element relative to other gripping lements on said holdingmembers.

7. In a garment hanger, in combination, a rst and second arm pivotallyinterconnected at one end to enable the free end of one arm to be swungaway or toward the free end of the other arm, a detachable lockingdevice co-operafble with the rst and second arm adapted for locking thearms together when disposed one relative to the other within the limitsof a certain angle within which a garment may be held in positionbetween the opposing free ends of the said arms, a shaft-support on oneend of the first arm, said shaft-support having a transverse groove ofsubstantial depth adapted to form a journal-bearing, a shaftmember onone end of the second arm adapted for accommodation in said groove andinsertable through the lateral opening thereof, and a block connected tothe shaft-support for covering at least part of said lateral opening ofthe groove to enable the shaft-member to be retained in operativeposition.

8. A clamping mechanism, comprising a rst and second arm pivotallyinterconnected at one end to enable the free end of one arm to describean arc in approaching the other, means on the free end of each arm forholding thereinbetween in position a part of material, a locking deviceembodied with the clamping mechanism adapted for at will closing the rstand second arm together, a pivot-support embodied with the iirst arm butseparately connected thereto, said pivotsupport including two oppositelylying sides each of which having a depression to form bearing @lementso-pen at the rear-side of the pivot-supsions, and means on the first armto retain the 5 shaft-elements of the second arm in operative positionon said bearing-elements when the pivotsupport is permanently secured tothe rst arm.

CARL LURTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Covey et al Apr. 5, 1904Spruce May 9, 1905 Deknatel Apr. 24, 1934 Saenger June 21, 1938 Fasel etai Dec. 23, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Mar. 9, 1921Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,424,280. July 22, 1947. CARLLURTZ It is hereby certified that error appears in the printedspecification of the above numbered patent requiring correction asfollows: Column 9, lines 67 t0 69 inclusive, claim 4, strike out swingcoextensively with said arm on a, common fulerum therewith and to andinsert the same in line 66, same claim, before the Word clear; and thatthe said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein thatthe same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of September, A. D. 1947.

[SEAL] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents.

